Still learning things the hard way
by Rooietroll
Summary: (inserting short summary when I have one)
1. Chapter 1

Thanks Blizzard for the use of all the lovely lore and ingame area's to use and write a storyline in fanfiction form about.

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**Chapter 1: Old 'friend'**

When the core group you work with grows rather small, there are only so many things you can do. Option: attract new people, fresh blood, expand the core group and lay out that desire to reform and be die hard with your business!

Option two: rely on others , sign a waterproof goblin contract that offered you a deal of a lifetime, but that also deprive you from most of your rights. Even though the perspective of your business would expand in size and you could still call yourself the owner of said the business.

Or he could pick option three and give up, as Denaestra had pointed out to him earlier when they met in the Broken Tusk for something to eat. He had the right to quit his business if he wanted, giving Blinking Wink the option to scoop it up and make it his anyway. That wasn't what he wanted…

He worked hard for this, together with Vim and Jazah. That his options were rather small right now didn't mean he simply wanted to throw the towel in and quit what he started. It was his business. It was his way of living. And he liked doing it.

So he sat there, alone in the Broken Tusk. Long after Denaestra went to continue her lessons for her exams again. It left Hazajin in doubt the way he sat there, sulking at the bar in the Broken Tusk that night in Orgrimmar, thinking things over.

Now Vim had plans to settle with Hayalnur and Jazah's arm showed very slow healing progress, he was left alone with the business. And with Jazah alone he could never pull it off. Not even if Denaestra managed to become a fully fledged mage and show off her arcane abilities in a useful way. Perhaps she had a hidden talent in shooting with a bow and arrows suddenly, or decided to become a hunter. Which was the most unlikely though he ever had. She just didn't have the click with hunter pets the way she did with breeding mounts.

He fiddled with the idea of signing the stupid contract Fix had given him weeks ago. Blinking Wink had specifically added a page with future plans for the company if he wished to take him up on that business deal. He also told him to think about it really hard before he would sign anything he would regret. That advise coming from a goblin was kind of hilarious he figure, as it all had to do with numbers and profit for most of them. Blinking Wink told him it would be a waste of his time if Hazajin wasn't ready to invest in new idea's and developments the goblin had in mind for their future cooperation. It would leave Hazajin with the business only in name. He would mostly be training new recruits. Or that was his new job description. And after the recruits were trained he would automatically take a step up and manage the teams, so the actual fieldwork would be taken from him as well. He muttered as he emptied his mug of cheap beer about the thought.

He didn't feel like letting it go just like that. He snapped his fingers.

"Refill?" the bartender held up a bottle. Hazajin shook his head. "Gimme an ale. Da good one," he said, feeling the alcohol flow through his system. Four more and he was likely to throw up in the corner, or be so drunk he would end up being robbed, undressed and asleep somewhere in Orgrimmar if he was lucky. Tonight was not a good night for him to think about it. Too much. He needed time to think, that wasn't when he was drunk.

"Havin' a hard time?" the sarcastic tone in her voice made him look up. Great, the evening could not get any worse with her walking in. Vim warned him he saw her hang around in Orgrimmar again. If Zundala was let out of prison and walked around in places she wasn't welcome, she was up to no good. And she would find him at some point. She always did. But Hazajin took his chances, hoping Orgrimmar was large enough not to run into her. But it almost seemed she sniffed him out. "Ya hard tah track," she told him, which made him slap himself on his forehead. Why was Vim always right about things like this. Next to him Zundala sat herself down. Her appearance practically filled the room. She was still as pretty as he remembered her. Very different from Xar'Ti, whom he fiddled around with for a long time. No troll female ever matched Zundala. Then again, no troll woman wanted to match up to Zundala nowadays. She wasn't exactly a welcome guest when she showed up. Zundala meant bad news. She was the one rogue you didn't want to be associated with if you wanted your career to take ground. Zundala was the type that laughed when she cut the muscles in somebody's calves and left them bleeding with a knife stuck in his lower belly in the heat of the Barrens in the middles of the road. Zundala was the type that encouraged others to do the wrong things and make it look right. Even Jazah was skeptical about her when he was Zundala's lover. And she was right. He always wondered what he saw in her when he was hanging out with her. It probably was the tension between them. Not only to be lured into the wrong business, but also the promise of a hot night. Zundala could make anybody shudder if he had to believe her. The blood elf was a grey mouse in comparison with Zundala. Colorful or not, he loathed her more then he liked her.

"Wat'cha want?" he snapped at her. "I want ya help. I be here on…business," she told him as if it was a secret she gladly shared with him. "I heard ya was here, so I came tah look at ya," she told him with that wicked grin of hers. "Look and be gone," he growled.

"Oooh, Haz, dat attitude, it be bringing back memories don'cha tink?" She licked her lips in a certain way that did remind him of all the steaming night he ever spent with her. It also reminded him of why he ended things after she pulled that trick on him. It did help him make the choice of not wanting to be an assassin. He could truthfully say she helped him there.

"Go away Zundala!" he told her. "Ah…don'cha want tah know mah…business?" she asked him in a semi sad tone. "I don't want anything tah do wit'cha," he said to her.

"Dat be a shame. I be hired tah find somebody. And I hoped ya was willing tah help an old friend, since ya been traveling a lot and all," she smiled wickedly at him, with cold golden eyes that focused on something else then his face. He hisses something unfriendly at her which made her laugh even harder.

She was his past, his present and his regret put behind him. And here she was again, flirting him up with that smooth talk of hers. He hoped to avoid meeting her in Orgrimmar again, but Vim warned him. And Vim was mostly right about these assumptions. He hated that so much.

"Wat ya problem? No elf tah…please ya?" she laughed hard when he gritted his teeth. "I be hearing ya was taken by dem beauties, wit da pointy ears. Dey make a better fuck den I ever did?" she dared to ask him.

"Go away woman, I aint in da mood for ya jokes," he told her. "I likes ya irritated. Makes ya worth more den ten when we did it," she cuddled up to him as she played with one of his bleu dreadlocks. Hooking one arm in his. "I be hearin a lot of stories bout ya. Good and bad ones. Da good ones tellin'of ya business, da bad ones of ya doin tings to blood elf girlies. She be shunned if ya keep it up," she warned him with a wicked glance in her eyes. "She never be getting herself a descent husband if she be screwing round with'cha," the troll woman told him. Hazajin din't want to hear that from her. He wanted to hear that from Denaestra. Besides, he took care of her now didn't he? Wasn't that equal to the solid base of their relation?

"Ya so silent," she said, teasing him a bit more by lingering her fingers on his upper leg too long. He slapped the greedy fingers away. "**Get lost woman, I mean it**," he snarled at her. "Oooh…Haz, ya hurt mah feelin 'here," she said, pointing at her heart. "Were be da big tauren? He not babysitting ya? He should, cause I be claiming ya if I can," she said, smacking her lips.

"If ya don't go, I will hurt ya," he promised with a jaw that was tight with anger. She answered him with a purr. "Ya so lovely when ya mad. Shame ya not willing tah help me. It be good money!" she offered him. If she hoped that money would win him over she was more wrong.

"I don't want nothing to do with'cha," he said. "Shame, I know ya was into meh once, don't be shy if ya ever want a rematch," she laughed when she got up.

It made him tremble with anger when she finally left. He rolled up the contract. The night was too spoiled to want to think about it. Signing that contract would make him assured of a certain percentage of every raptor they would sell, but it would also mean he would hand in over half of his income. If business was bad he would not earn much.

He grumbled, making a decision he wanted. He would expand his own business and refill Vim's spot with somebody else. All he had to do was ask Denaestra to write him an advertisement to recruit new people so he could start fresh and new. And this time he would avoid going into Orgrimmar if he could, especially now he knew Zundala was walking loose again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Not a pretty thought**

A shiver ran down Denaestra's spine. Making her look around. No potential enemies in sight so far. Though she didn't feel quit at ease when Marud told her to follow him. Getting out the Cleft of Shadows was a welcome distraction. He took her to another part of Orgrimmar, away from anybody that could distract them.

"Something the matter?" Marud pulled her out of her thoughts with an impatient sounding cough. The mage trainer walked in a full circle around the elf, observing her like a commander would do his troops. She did not like his look, it made her nervous. Even so she managed to stand still to his amusement. At least she tried. Trying wasn't the problem he noticed. She was dedicated enough, willing enough, eager to learn, yet she seemed to lack that last push to cross the water to get to her goal and give it everything he knew.

"Are you alright?" He asked, eyeing her for some unusual response. She looked tired to him, more than usual. He didn't ask her if she was too occupied with the troll he saw hanging around. He knew Hazajin; he also knew what they were together. Marud made the sum when he first saw her brighten up whenever the rogue came to collect her. Even though she didn't boast about it, even if everybody knew she was more to the troll. It didn't matter to him. Most young men, if not some young women, had a taste for another race from time to time. He had his for a troll female when he was younger, it made him smirk for a moment.

"I-I'm fine," she told him, sounding nervous. "Anta tells me you have been occupied. Not with your studies. Is there something that bothers you?" Anta was another of Marud's students, a troll female with a large amount of green braids and a strange grin if she laughed. Anta looked out for Denaestra, Marud knew, which he liked. The girl needed some support ever since she was transferred under his guidance. Anta was easy to talk to. It seemed Denaestra could get along well with her.

That she would find trouble adapting here was something Marud had expected when the request came to take the blood elf on as an apprentice. To his surprise she was well aware of that when she presented herself. Still she was persistent to go through with it. Her honesty was something amusing to him as well, the way she could blurt out things and quicklly change color when her cheeks would redden from the sudden spill.

When he asked her why she came here, she told him she did not feel in place in Silvermoon anymore. After she told him about Grand Magister Rommath's warning that the ways of the orcs were very different and that she would have to do her best to keep up she seemed well prepared to come to Orgrimmar. She showed to be the eager student, which he liked. And the reference from one of the mage trainers in Silvermoon seemed good enough to give it a try. It wasn't the first time a student from Silvermoon trained in Orgrimmar.

Marud liked discipline and dedication from his students. Even so he was patient with each of his students. Some more than others. Denaestra had shown him discipline, dedication. More than enough. Sure she was a little shy and timid at first in the strange group of students he taught, but that slowly disappeared when she settle. With Anta taking a liking to her she seemed more herself. The watchful eye of the troll female helped her ease more during lessons, which he encouraged.

Yet he could not lay his finger on the fact she always seemed a little out of balance with herself.

"Has Mazhi been bothering you again?" She blushed an instant red to the cheeks when the name was mentioned. He smirked when he found the beginning of the source. He circled another round, looking at the way she stood. Body language told him a lot. She followed his movement as he completed the circle around her, stopping in front of her.

"You need to deal with that problem," he stated. She nodded obediently, wanting to take a step back when he stood to close in her personal space.

"I am," she said. She was, but she didn't know how. Mahzi wasn't the type to confront alone or in public. The orc woman was a nasty piece of work that always tried to trick her into failure. A strong student she was, but also one with a taste for disaster to others. Ever since Denaestra set foot in the mage quarters in Ogrimmar the orc woman showed no love for Denaestra, he knew.

"Do you know why you are here?" he asked her. She eyed him curious. This morning Marud had only taken her to the valley of Honor. Assigning the rest of his students to other tasks. He even left Anta out. Now she stood silently waiting in the practice area with all the target dummies, to be told what she was here for. These were far larger then what they trained with. Flagged with the blue and gold crest of Stormwind City. She never quite got the excitement others showed when they rammed their weapons in the wooden looking creations that were supposed to represent any Alliance faction member.

"You worry me," he suddenly said. She opened her mouth slightly when she looked up at him with surprise on her face. "I'm not questioning your dedication, nor the will to learn, but I do worry about your circumstances," he said. "My circumstances?" Denastra looked at him. Marud sighed. "Do you have what it takes to train in Orgrimmar," he explained to her. She pursed her lips together in doubt. She wondered if he did that to all his students. According to Anta and other members of the student group Marud was known to pick a random student and test them without notifying them first. Today seemed to be hers.

"Today, you are going to show me _**everything**_ you know. Every basic spell they ever taught to you. Every spell you were working on and everything you have picked up so far. I want to see your full potential! I want your full concentration and I want you to give me everything you've got," he started, his tone not very friendly. Denaestra silently took a deep breath. Oh yes, this was her day.

"When you cast something, you will think of those target dummies as enemies! Or in your case, think of them as potential Mazhi's, whatever helps," he pointed a thick green finger towards the target dummies. That made her smile a little, picturing Mazhi's face on top of the wooden structure. "And while you cast…think hard. Think hard of why you chose to become a mage in the first place. Think about the way you cast, what your best spells are, your capacities. Think of what it is to be a mage, feel what it is to be a mage. I want you to think of nothing else but the mage qualities you are about to show me. Don't make me reconsider to see that potential your trainers in Silvermoon obviously saw in you," he said harsh, taking a step back from her. Denaestra had a very unpleasant feeling when he looked at her after that. A small flame of obnoxious behavior crept up, trying to fight the nervous mood she was in.

She didn't give into it, it might be used against her. Marud smirked, now he knew where the problem lay she might be able to find herself a solution. Mazhi was main core problem to more than one student. Not only to the ones from other races. Denaestra seemed to do well as long as she was with her own group of students. But the moment they were divided for a task with the other students she got anxious. Being the only elf probably didn't always help.

"Impress me, give me everything you have, girl," he said, as if he was giving the start sign for a contest she was in. She nodded, understanding the fear some of the other students had shown when he picked them out. She took a deep breath, biting her lip. Concentration was hard when asked instantly. She thought of what to show him.

Marud made himself comfortable while he observed. This was always the most amusing part, to see what the student came up with to impress him. It made his job all the more fun to see them sweat, hinted with a little fear for him as he introduced them for that unwilling and unknown test that scared every student. Sometimes it ended in tears, sometimes in anger. But mostly it ended in relief for the student that was tasked to show his or her abilities. Having them perform alone worked wonders if they could not hide behind the mistakes of others. Here she had to give it all, alone. Or he would have to advice her that she might not be suitable to become a mage. That usually worked well if they slacked.

But she didn't slack, she was merely unfocused in some ways. And he wanted to straighten that out. He was rarely disappointed if he made them work for it. Why Ureda had no patience with the girl he didn't understand. But it became quite clear to him during the first week she had been assigned to be her trainer. Perhaps it already had something to do with Mazhi, as she was Ureda's brightest student for the moment. Marud had taught more students from different species. So he offered to take the blood elf of her hands. She wasn't the first elf to try his patience. And Ureda gladly took him up on his offer.

He wanted to see that shy elf in front of him turn into a proper mage. One of the caliber he was known to teach. All he needed to do was find out how to give her that little push into the right direction. But she hesitated. He saw it when he waited for the first spell. She looked over her shoulder at her him in fear when he didn't say anything at first. "Show me a basic fire spells," he ordered the nervous elf after a small silence. She stared at him, nodding quickly. Denaestra settled her nerves for a moment, concentrating as she created a simple fire bolt that swirled between two hands before casting it at the target dummy. The mechanism rattling its arms as it was attacked by the bolt. Marud watched the result. Fire spells came easy to her.

"Now try a that frost bolt. I know you had trouble with that," he told her. Denaestra gritted her teeth. Thinking hard how they worked again. She waited for a moment. "Concentrate while you cast, girl!" the rough grunt coming from Marud broke the focus on her frost bolt instantly. Making the bolt fall apart in a splash. She was irritated by now. "Stand up straight as you cast, make you hands move smoother," he commanded her. Denaestra bit her lower lip as the orc was telling her off on it.

"I'm trying," she said. "Try harder," he told her. So she focused on another frost bolt, creating the round ice circle in her hands before it splashed to water again. "Don't slack, girl! They taught you enough basics to know what you are doing!" Marud continued his harsh tone. To Denaestra he never seemed pleased enough, never satisfied with what she showed him. "They do not tolerate slackers in Silvermoon do they?" he laughed, hard when she looked odd for a moment. In Silvermoon she had been praised to be a fast learner, Marud scolded her for that here.

"I'm not slacking," Denaestra muttered defensively, her undertone angry as she felt her mood drop level, not knowing how else to behave. The frost bolt failed again before it hit the target in front of her. Leaving her fingers cold and stiff from casting. He looked at her, his face disapproving for her failure, yet a slight smirk for her sudden protest. She did not see that, as she tried to concentrate more on conjuring the next bolt.

There was movement in the hall to the stairs. A larger smirk passed on his face when he saw Ureda enter with four students. It instantly made Denaestra's concentration break when she noticed Mahzi among them. They passed her with snickering remarks. Marud watched her closely now. The elf didn't know how to behave properly as she was being watched by the four students that gathered at the other end of the practice grounds.

"Don't slack! Concentrate! If I was the enemy, you would be dead by now!" He warned her again. Denaestra's face jolting back to her trainer, a mixture of anger and disapproving from her side. "I'm…I'm not slacking sir…honestly," she said again, voice unsteady. "If you are not slacking, then what are you doing?" He asked, his tone low. He could not provoke her to fight back with a remark this time. She let her shoulders hang, not answering his question. Marud frowned, looking at Ureda's students and then at the elf. "None of my other students seem to have trouble with the basic frost spells, yet you do. I know you can do more. Tell me what is wrong here, if you are indeed not slacking?" The orc asked of her, his eyes observing her. She looked at her feet, feeling greatly undone by his blunt remarks.

"No comment?" The mage trainer paced up and down in front of her. Her eyes lingering into the direction of the group that was watching her.

"You don't understand," she said, eyeing Mazhi who knew exactly why they were here."One of the basic rules. Never let any opponent catch you in any unguarded situation! You're dead if you don't defend yourself. So try again, concentrate," he said, keeping a watchful eye on Ureda's students. As Denaestra concentrated the provoking sound of chickens were made. One of the students deliberately walking up and down in front of the target dummy. She was hit by Denaestra's frost bolt that splashed out in her face. The girl cried out in anger, raising a fist at Denaestra, much to Marud's irritation.

"I should invent a new spell, water bolt, you throw them like one of those water elementals," he told her. She didn't know if he was joking or scolding her."I didn't mean to hit her with my bolt," she said softly. "She should not have walked in front of your target," he decided. It made Denaestra feel a little more at ease knowing he knew and was on her side with that.

"Try again," he encouraged her. She did, the small frost bolt she managed to create looked better but still resembled more of a water bolt then the real thing. Denaestra's confidence dropping as she glared at him. Her hair falling in front of her face when she looked at her feet again. There was more laughter from the corner where Ureda trained her students. The orc female roared at her students for silence.

Marud noticing Denaestra shifting uncomfortably, Mahzi was defiantly the problem here. When she was being watched and mocked, she instantly failed. The orc thought for a moment when he watched the four students whispering together. Denaestra's slender ears seem to drop with her mood level.

"Ureda, could you have one of your students show us how a proper frost bolt is created," he asked of his fellow mage trainer. Ureda pointed at a dark green tanned orc female to comply to this request. Her skin was covered in scars and tattoes. She had no hair and her grin was fierce an wicked as she walked up to Marud and Denaestra. The elf felt her stomach turn. She did not trade Silvermoon's misjudging looks of dismay to be made a fool out of in Orgrimmar. Not even when Grand Magister Rommath warned her for the difference in culture between Horde races, she never expected it to be like this.

Mazhi created a perfect bolt within seconds before casting it on the target. Marud eyed the elf sharply as she tried to pay attention to the orc female student without looking her in the eyes. He pondered for a moment. The other orcs students laughed when they saw the elf looked somber. "This is how we do simple spells, elf," the orc female told her in a false tone.

"Thank you for showing us the frost bolt and the comment Mahzi, now please return to your trainer," Marud told her in an authorizing tone, annoyed by the constant snickers from the other students. Mazhi giggled as she walked back. There was laughter coming from the four of them when they stood together again, all eyeing the elf. "Now you show me," he said to Denaestra. The elf wiggled her fingers again. The four students didn't bother to restrain their laughter.

"I think I have seen enough," Marud said, giving a small hint to Ureda who smirked at him. She roared for the four students to be quiet and follow her into another direction. When they were alone again Marud walked around Denaestra for a moment. "I can smell your fear, did you know that?" he asked openly with a gruff voice. She looked at him, blinking before she wished to say something.

"I-I didn't know they would show here, sir…," she started, trying to remain calm. "I did, because I asked Ureda to bring them for a moment, to see what you would do," he said. His expression neutral when she looked played for a moment. "Convince me. I know you want this. I also know you can do this. Surely you have not been placed her by Grand Magister to have him hear we find you slack?" he asked her in a rude way. She felt like crying when he scolded her again. Swallowing her tears she nodded to answer him. "It's very obvious you need to sort things out, up here," he said, pointing at her forehead.

"Perhaps Orgrimmar is not the place to sort that out for you," he looked at Denaestra for a response. She almost looked heartbroken when he said that. "I see you struggle and fight so hard for your training, but when a person like Mazhi comes in sight, you fail instantly," he didn't like telling her she might be better off in Silvermoon. He did it anyway. "If you can't find a way to cope with that problem, you will NEVER be a mage. Why? Because you will always fail if you are unsure. You cannot be unsure in times of war, or you WILL die," he said. Denaestra looked at her fingertips. "I'm trying sir, …honestly, Mazhi is just a problem I need to find a solution for," she pleaded. He knew she could, but she had to prove that to him.

"Do your best to focus more. Give me another frost bolt," he told her. Without anybody else watching her but Marud, she tried casting the frost bolt again. Nervous as she was the bolt did not completely form as she wanted it to. When she casted it towards the target it missed again. Marud eyeing her again. A smirk on his face suddenly when he watched her movement more closely.

"I think I see another problem here," he said suddenly, when he looked at the result of the aim. "Your rotation is good, but your moves aren't smooth enough yet. You want to go too fast in creating your bolt. Unlike the fire bolt that almost shows up the moment you think of the spell. The frost bolt forms is slightly different. It should not give you any trouble," he said, looking at her hands. Denaestra stared at the orc, puzzled by this. "Try again, this time use your hands slowly so the bolt gets a chance to built up in form properly before it falls apart," he advised her. Denaestra nodded. She had been trying so hard to catch up with everything the orc taught his students. What he called slacking was late knowledge for her, as she had not yet obtained the level the others seemed to have because she was a late student to the studies of the mage.

Slowly rotating her hands above each other she created a friction, as the cold substance rotated itself into the shape of the bolt she wanted. Denaestra surprised at the effect of it when it fully formed. As she aimed the frost bolt at the target dummy it hit instantly. Creating a cover of sparkling ice that spread around on the ground where the target stood. Would it have been a life target it would have been frozen to the ground, instantly slowing down the opponent's movement.

Marud smirking as he nodded, clearly satisfied. "Well done," he said with a smirk. She blushed slightly. The small compliment a welcome change. "Without Mazhi around you perform so much better, so much is clear," he said as well. The next couple of frost bolts instantly cast as if she did it on daily basis. Marud nodding approvingly at her. If she was not nervous, she did fine!

"Create me a pyroblast," he asked of her. Seeing she was getting exhausted. Her mana slowly wearing out. Denaestra smiling after his request. She had not shown him a pyroblast yet. But fire was more her element then frost. As she created the giant boulder of fire it formed in size while she concentrated, eyeing the target ahead of her. Swinging her arms back, taking the fire bolder with her, before throwing it at the dummy. Marud smirked appreciatively as the target dummy caught fire.

"Not a bad attempt, elf. But remember that mages, like anybody in battle, need to be alert, not shy. Work on your problem with Mazhi and you might actually amaze yourself. Don't let her ruin things for you like that," he pointed out in an advising manner. Denaestra looked unhappy, knowing he was right. "I think this will be enough for today," he decided. She was relieved to hear that. "Practice your rotation and you will learn how to become faster in creating your frost bolt. If you have trouble with a spell start out slowly, do not rush yourself to show off on others that may watch. You are studying. Meaning you should allow yourself to learn it properly before you are able to cast it like any full learned mage. Spamming it into the wrong directions would only cause you more trouble because you do not concentrate enough. Once you manage to comply your spells to become faster you will be fine," he told her.

"Now go back to the student quarters and think about what I said," he told her with his gruff voice.

He actually smirked when he saw her salute him and then dart off. When he looked at the sun it told him it was halfway the afternoon. If that rogue would be on time he could handle this problem and hope the outcome would work well for them all.

* * *

Today wasn't a good day for Hazajin. He felt restless, even Jazah noticed he was off. Cautious was probably the best way to describe his behavior. He seemed to check every corner twice if he walked around Orgrimmar. She wondered why.

When Marud's request to speak with him came this morning he seemed more restless. Right now his head was too full with other things to bother about. Jazah read the letter over his shoulder when he lay it on the table. She always did to his annoyance. Normally he and Vim would make sure their provisions were up to date, but Vim was occupied in Thunder Bluff. Making arrangements for his wedding. Now he had to take Jazah shopping. Which he didn't like. With Denaestra he could simply go into a shop, pay the merchant and walk to the next shop. Jazah always had to check for curiosities!?

"Wat she be doing here?" Jazah stood still, looking rather surprised to catch a glimpse of Zundala standing somewhere in the same shop. The rogue woman looked like she was going to purchase the same rope as Jazah requested from the merchant. Hazajin didn't listen to her at first when he loudly counted out the coins for the merchant to see he was not cheating. "Haz, look!" Jazah gave him a hard poke in his side which made him grunt in pain. "Wat?" he snarled. "Dere, dat good for notting," she nodded into the direction she had seen Zundala, but the woman already moved when she looked again.

"Wat ya on about?" he muttered, rolling up the rope they just bought. "Zundala, ya weird ex!" Jazah said in a bitchy tone. Hazajin looked around suspiciously when she mention Zundala. He wasn't pleased at all to hear her say that.

"Ya could have pointed," Hazajin hinted. Jazah gave him a nasty glare. Her limp arm was strapped around her waist with a silk bandage to prevent it from movement. It seemed to hurt less when she held it in this position. The wound in her upper arm became infected again after she was just thinking her arm was getting better. She was told to give the arm some rest and not constantly use it. It made her moodier than ever. It kept playing up, which left her in despair of having a proper working arm again by now. Even though the healers told her it would take time, she wasn't in the mood to wait for the moment that her arm would get better.

"Ya, sorry, I forgot," she heard her brother apologize when he realized he was the one that strapped her arm around her waist that morning by her own request.

"Ya edgy. Something happened?" Jazah asked, noticing her brother was glancing around more often than usual. It did explained his behavior of the past few days she realized. "It be fine," he told her, lying, as he put the rope in his backpack. He never bothered to tell her of his meeting with Zundala a few days ago. His lie was so obvious even Jazah could tell he was bothered by it.

"Why don'cha go and see ya girly? Ya meet with Marud and collect her so we be done. I be finishing dis," she told him in a decisive way, reminding him of that appointment with the mage trainer. Before he knew it she grabbed the note from his hands. She held it upside down, trying to decipher the list of supplies he wanted to buy. "Ya can't carry dem," he protested, wanting to grab the note back from her good hand.

"Boar be my mule, get goin!" she ordered him. Hazajin sighed, displeased he was dismissed by his own sister.

"Haz, if ya was tinking of seeing dat woman ever again, I let da blood elf girly loose at ya! She don't deserve no such thing! And I smack ya brains in with mah good fist if I find out!" she promised him when he tried to delay his leave. He grinned at his sister and her strange way of showing concern for the needs of the blood elf.

"Ya need tah catch meh first," he grinned. Jazah gave him a rude gesture when he walked out of the shop.

Hazajin pondered. Why did she have to show herself again? What did she want from him? What was her purpose to seek him out every time? He grumbled, unable to think of a good reason. He shrugged, not really in the mood to know. With Zundala everything was bad news.

But he could not deny she wanted something from him, or she would not have lurked around every place he had business to deal with, trying to make eye-contact and have him speak to her.

It bothered him enough. Hoping that Jazah's appearance would make her think again, it didn't go that way. She deliberately kept bumping into him. Maybe not intentionally this time, but she kept showing up in unwanted places. He had hoped to avoid having to bring the subject up, but now Jazah noticed her there was no point in trying to keep it a secret. The whole idea of getting all the supplies and make the journey back to Sen'Jin as soon as possible became a vague wish when Zundala showed herself in the shop. It would not stop him from doing what he came to Orgrimmar for he decided.

He would go and see Denaestra in the mage quarters, speak with Marud, collect her and be off.

So he was on his way. Seeing Denaestra made him happier. She was a welcome distraction, in and out of his bed. Zundala always managed to make every situation turn into something explosive. Denaestra didn't. The blood elf was more secure for him. His mouth became a doubtful stripe for a second. Zundala challenged him, lurked him in dangerous situations. Denaestra didn't.

She challenged him to learn more. The young mage was inexperienced in many ways, but that didn't stop him from wanting to be with her. He liked her. The way she was obnoxious or annoyed. The way she fiddled with her fingers when she was nervous about something and he was able to sooth her. She was learning so much in her own ways. She had grown from the scared elf to a more stable personality in a very short time now she saw more than just Silvermoon. Perhaps she wasn't as colorful as Zundala, but she had spunk. And a strong will. He liked that in a woman. Any woman besides Jazah. He didn't like Jazah questioning his authorization, like she always did.

His walk took him past the large building where the sounds of hammers on anvils were echoing in his ears. Where the smell of melted ores made it hard to breath.

Passed the goblin elevator invention that took you up the ramp where the zeppelins docked from and where you could buy yourself a flight with a wyvern to another destination. It always seemed busy on the road towards the Drag. But he had no business in the Drag today, he had business down the Cleft of Shadows.

He stopped to look at the gaping teeth of the entrance to the Cleft of Shadows. There where the mist made you confused when you walked further down. Occupied by the less then savory citizen of Orgrimmar, Hazajin didn't mind going in. He used to train many times with a few of the rogue trainers when he was younger. Even so the Cleft of Shadows held a strange sphere. Perhaps because of the looming threats of Ragefire Chasm. Or simply because there were warlocks, mages and rogues put in dark part of Ogrimmar where the security seemed tighter than anywhere.

If you wanted something odd, this was probably the place to find it. Hazajin remembered how Fix Copperclutch boasted about wanting to set up a nightclub in the Cleft, to make it more appealing to come down to. Hazajin never thought that was a very good idea, but the goblin seemed thrilled and would not let it go. Thinking of Fix reminded him of the bloody contract that was still in his backpack. He had to let Blinking Wink know he was not going to sign it.

In thoughts he walked further down. It seemed colder in the Cleft of Shadows, but that was probably an illusion, he could never tell for sure.

"Hello dere handsome," as if she was waiting for him she stood there, leaning to the side of the entrance. His grin turned into a foul one. "Stop following," he told her as he passed her without stopping. "Ya so handsome when ya angry," she purred as she walked next to him. "I wasn't following, I was looking at mah business," she told him, hooking her arm into his without asking. He stopped, growling at her in a low tone.

"If ya wasn't following, wat ya be doing in all da places I needed tah be?" he demanded to know. "I was observing," she said with a chuckle.

"**Leave meh be**!" he warned her when he felt her hand tighten around his arm. Zundale grinned, her golden eyes fixed on his. "Make meh," she challenged him. He breezed as he gritted his teeth in anger. That didn't stop her from lingering her fingers down the side of his cheek onto his shoulder. He slapped her arm away.

"**Wat'cha want woman**!" he demanded, shoving her aside. "You," she told him without moving when he pushed her away.

"**I don't wat'cha**!" he yelled at her. She giggled. "Ya do, ya just needs tah listen tah meh!" she told him. "**No **_**you**_** listen**!" Hazajin snarled at her. He had to take a deep breath when one of the guards looked at him. The brow of the orc frowned as he eyed them. Either to tag the situation a lovers' quarrel or something else. It made her laugh in that seductive way she could do. But he would not fall for it. Instead he looked at her, ridding himself of that annoying hand on his shoulder when he took her firm by the arm and pulled her with him into a curve of the way down that got them out of sight from the guards prying eyes.

"I was done with'cha! More den done! I took blame for ya last actions. And it made meh sorry I ever knew ya," he told her, no regret in his voice hearable this time. Zundala snickered for a moment when she remembered.

"Ah come on Haz, good times! Ya not still angry with meh because ya was charged with theft for dat book?" she asked. He was, he was still angry about that. Those weren't good times. "Theft?" he repeated. She looked at him, eyeing him head to toe as her gaze seemed pleased with what she saw.

"Dat wat rogues do, steal tings!" she mentioned it as if it was more than normal and allowed. "It was a job," she excused herself. "It weren't mah job! Ya used meh!" he growled at her. She looked innocent like Jazah could do, only her innocence was more fake than anything he knew.

"Ya broke dat man's jaw when ya stole the bloody book!" he reminded her. She nodded with a smirk. "He should have given it up when I asked," she said. Hazajin turned her around as he felt her twitch when he hurt her arm. The day she did that job was the day he decided enough was enough and he didn't want to kill for money or do the stupid jobs Zundala took. She did anything. From clean ones to the dirty jobs as she filed them. A clean job was to steal an item, something simple. Rob a person from a certain amount of money, steal papers or documents. A dirty job was being hired to infiltrate, to find out valuable information. Sometimes to assassinate somebody. Earning a lot of money after the job was done. They didn't receive many requests for that when he just started his rogue career. But her last job was enough to make him reconsider his rogue ways.

"**Ya broke his jaw, den ya stabbed his wife and left her bleeding tah death**!" he growled at her. Zundala wasn't moved. "So wat, she was ugly and she was in da way. Dere be plenty of orcs out dere. We did him a favor," she put it so plain it irritated him even more when she started laughing again.

"It was supposed tah be a clean job!" his eyes narrowed at her. She shrugged. "She should have been out of da way," Zundala said. Something snapped in Hazajin's brain."**I was charged with murder because of dat**!" he snarled at her. She rolled her eyes at him as if it was nothing. "I remember ya was in need of dat sort of thrill," she countered him in an ugly tone. "It was an easy job," she told him. Oh he remembered that. "**I WAS ALMOST HANGED**!" he yelled at her suddenly. "Well ya still here," she said in a stupid way, fluttered her eyes at him, looking seductive at him. Did she truly flirt with him? He could not believe this.

He didn't bother telling her he barely escaped the gallows in Winterspring after she did her job there and let him rot for it. She managed to escape by using him for a decoy.

His full fist hit her to the side of her head, knocked her to the floor suddenly. His full weight on top of her as he pinned her down. She looked taken by surprise for a moment. Then she recovered herself, looking at him. "Why Haz, ya was tinking my thoughts," she laughed sarcastically at him. He growled, laden with more than anger.

"I want'cha out of mah life," he hissed near her ear. One of his hands grabbing her by the throat. Zundala did not fight him. Instead she looked at him, challanging him, provoke him to go further. He breathed heavily before squeezing, loosening his grip when she smiled. "Ya can't do it, can ya!"Just when she though she won something changed in him. "Ya so keen on dis?" He hissed, grunting in anger when he squeezed her throat tight suddenlt. It left her coughing and wheezing for air when she wasn't prepared for it. She rolled her eyes, her hands grabbing his strong arm to try and rid herself of his hand around her throat.

"Ya not worth it," he spat at her, as he let go. Zundala wheezed, heaving, whiping the spittle of the side of her mouth."Wat if I won't?" She asked in a raw voice, trying to make it sound like fun. "I kill ya…," he promised solemnly as he got up. He left her lying there.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Zundala**

Zundala sat on the bed in the room where she was staying. It was a dark room with no windows. More like a cave, reached by a rickety piece of self made ladder - which were hidden under her bed- that allowed you to open the stuffy room with a hatch. Illuminated with some candles it was all the light available in the room. There was hardly any space at all, mostly because it was a hide-out. Simply decorated with two field beds, blankets, a trunk for personal belongings and a stool to sit on in the farthest corner of the room. There was little room to maneuver around. Not even Zundala could stand up straight in the small sized space. She wasn't very tall for troll standards, unlike many others who were. Besides, this was only a temporary place.

A good hiding place somewhere in a cave in the Cleft, carved out in the rocks by the owner of the house where she resided for now. The warlock had no questions when she came to inquire about the 'space'. Someone would only come to inquire for that space if they were told about it, referred by an acquaintance of the warlock. Only then he gave you a proper answer.

The small note she had carried around in her pocket was proof enough. The warlock had read it with this strange smirk plastered to his face that later formed a demonic grin before he nodded. After that he showed her where she had to walk and explained how to get up and to hide the ladder. He told her to do close the hatch at any time and to remove the ladder when she was either out or in.

Here she could freely do as she pleased, nicely hidden away. No one would bother her or find her here . Which was good. Because that was the last thing she wanted, to be found.

But she had to show herself. How that irritating and nosy Jazah managed to filter her out after all these years was still a surprise when she noticed her in the store. She had not been able to observe his behavior undisturbed when she noticed Jazah watching her.

That he was cautious made her smirk, amused by the fact he was watching his back. That he would become aggressive she would never believed for herself if he did not filter his anger towards her.

The two fingers of her hand automatically felt the sport at her throat where Hazajin had grabbed her. She could still feel his fingers close around her throat. The memory brought a chill down her spine. . There curled a sinister grin on her lips. Previously he had never been so aggressive, now he clearly was. And he wasn't pleased to see her at all. Which made her task slightly more difficult, but she needed to work him to get what she wanted. She had to figure out how.

Her throat still felt painful where his grip had been. Her larynx still felt sore from the way he squeezed it tight and prevented her from air.

From one of the bags against the wall she took a mirror shard. Looking at herself in the light from one of the candles she tried to see if she could discover pressure marks from his fingers. There were none visible, perhaps because she had a bluish tint to her skin. The sinister grin widened. She looked at herself in the oddly shaped splinter that reflected her image. Yes he had a firm grip. And he had threatened her, he threatened to kill her if she would not leave him be! She smiled again. He knew nothing yet.

The aggression and territorial behavior he showed before, the threatening and the physical abuse made him a different person in her eyes. And she liked what she saw.

Of course she understood that he was angry about their last meeting when she asked him to accompany her to Winterspring. He should not worry over such insignificant hings such as barely escaping the gallows. That orc and his wife had that book and would not give up on it was their problem. They paid for that with their lives. She relived the thrill of stabbing that woman in her neck and watching her bleed to death. Hazajin had often cleaned up her mess. This was no different. He knew what he was in for with her. Or so she loved telling herself that.

When she met Hazajin for the first time he wasn't like this. He wasn't even called Hazajin back in the days. He still by his old name, Hazag.

He was this strange young boy in her eyes, gullible, peaceful and searching himself. He looked like a lanky young man whose limbs were completely out of proportion. He had a full head of blue hair that was peeking in every possible directions and he failed in being attractive with that huge nose and those puny tusks of his. Not a very attractive appearance to Zundala.

She turned out to be slightly older. Only a few years perhaps. Zundala was more mature than Hazag was. She already made her first kill when she was only twelve. Surviving, her mentor had called it when she was sent to be their distraction. Eventually she killed the man, the target, herself when he became suspicious of the young troll girl that was sent to him for decoy. The man wasn't a complete fool after all. But Hazag, was a different story.

When they came to Sen'jin village for a quiet period, as her mentor called it, it was especially Hazag's behavior what struck her. Of all the young people about her age he fell out of order. It was mostly the way he was occupied with his throwing knives. He was not only concentrated, he was also aware of the surroundings before throwing one of his knives. She noticed he was also engaged in observing. He did not let anybody distract him. Nine out of ten of his throwing knives were thrown in places that could mean fatal wounds for the target. He was exact and accurate.

That was what she noticed about him. Her mentor had seen it too. He instructed her to approach him. To see if she could make her feminine charms work for her. She giggled when thinking back of that moment.

Most guys her age were horny and easily distracted when a fine young woman walked around alone. Hazag did not. His head was not busy with girls yet. So he did what she did not expect him to do, shrugging as he eyed her before he walked away. She had to growl at the other guys when they saw Hazag didn't seem interested.

It took her a lot of thinking and a different approach to get his attention. He notice her mostly because she was so horribly persistent. After that making herself interesting for him was hard. But at least he saw her.

When she had his full attention, and called himself a close friend, he was willing to do much for her. She introduced him to her mentor, encouraged him to do his knife throwing for the mentor to watch and hoped her mentor would praise her for achieving her goal. He did praise her. But he mostly praised him for his ability. "You have rogue blood in you," said the mentor to Hazag with a faint grin. He only said that if he really thought someone had potential to succeed him.

When Hazag appeared to be interested he became his second student. Together with Zundala he learned the tricks of the trade, taught by an old veteran. And he quickly learned. To Zundala's surprise. He equaled her with knives and short swords faster than she could imagine.

Only when the first orders came they pulled away from Sen'jin, Hazag was tagging along with them. With his parents' approval because he was learned a trade he was allowed to leave.

Outside Sen'jin he learned to use his stealth better. In the Crossroads they were taught to work in a team, where they were hired by the hunter trainer and his students to assist on a mission to rescue some young tauren. As him mentor showed them that you could also make your rogue skills work for you in different ways Hazag seemed pleased with that. Of course they were taught all the different kinds of skills. Together with Zundala he learned to steal money from unsuspecting travelers in Razor Hill. In Tanaris they learned how to divert with people.

In Undercity they learned how to infiltrate when they were facing forsaken. In Undercity Hazag also learned to make a choice in what he wanted with his talent. And that was not the choice made by Zundala. And in the years that followed he learned even more.

It was a nice and carefree time, Zundala recalled. It was also the time when Hazag grew from the lanky young man into a young adult. By then he was tall and built up muscle, his appearance changed both inwards as well as outwards. His nose didn't look so large anymore and his tusks grew longer each year. His limbs were growing into proportions which made him an attractive young man by then. He became attractive in his own way when he let his strange wild blue hair was braided when they visited Desolace. It suited him, even Zundala had to admit that.

Braided by several of the women in Shadowprey village, a troll village located by the sea. The women were giving him odd looks when they stayed there according to Zundala. They stayed for a few months because their mentor had business with some of the villagers. The village women gave Hazag enough encouraging looks to displease Zundala. She actually felt annoyed of the fact that he had got more attention than she did.

Jealousy was not Zundala's strongest point. Even if she ever gave it more thought, his first night was not with her but with some more experienced woman. It was an attractive busty moss green troll woman who had his first time. Zundala's first time was when she was fourteen, with an idiot who did not know what he did. Later his older brother made up for it.

When she looked at Hazajin she had never thought she would be annoyed by that. But she was. She felt offended that he was not hers and gave his first time to some strange woman. Maybe he was not meant to be hers. Whatever it was, it made her extremely cranky that "her friend" was watched by all those women. And that the woman in question went on boasting about Hazag first time and how her teaching helped her to please them both.

Mentor laughed about it. He said Zundala should not let herself be guided by her jealousy. To be taken with jealousy would cause you to have more enemies than you wanted and solve your problems with hate. According to her mentor it caused many to become dishonorable. Zundala ignored him and his advice. She blamed Hazag for not seeing what she saw.

He didn't agree she tagged him hers.

Zundala was known to be a persistent young woman who usually got what she wanted, willingly or unwillingly. When she had put her sights on Hazag she felt she needed to free 'her friend' from all the women that were bothering him. It should be clear he was hers, and nobody else. After she told that to the stubborn moss green woman she was laughed at. "Girl, you should have had him when you had the chance," was her reply. To Zundala she was clearly trespassing when it came to Hazag. She claimed the woman had snatched him from her, all the woman did was laugh even louder.

The following night she killed the moss-green troll woman out of anger. She knew the woman lived in one of the huts up the hill. She never killed somebody from a befriended troll village before, but the kick she got out of it was amazing.

She had it all keened out. Memorizing where the woman lived. It was actually very easy and dishonorable the way she did it. She simply entered the woman's hut in the middle of the night, paralyzed her, broke both her arms and then cut the artery in her throat. The blood gushed out like a waterfall, and she simply looked at the blood pool with a nasty smirk. Zundala left the woman behind to choke in her own blood.

Yes, she smiled again, that was a beautiful day.

However, her mentor was not stupid. He was waiting for her when she returned from her nocturnal adventure and saw her covered in blood. "Dishonorable is not what I taught you," was all he said, eyeing her threateningly. She looked at him defiantly, as she wiped her knifes on her tunic. Mentor knew enough. "Do this again and I know where to find you," was his advice to her.

Only later they heard word about the murder in the troll village in Desolace. By that time they were long gone. Knowing that they were suspicious Zundala felt thrilled. Hazag knew nothing, mentor left it like that.

That same lanky Hazag grew further into adulthood and became longer, it turned him into a tall lithe muscular male with a bunch of dreadlocks. Zundala was transformed into an attractive but dangerous woman with a very short fuse at that time.

For a moment it seemed that Zundala had Hazag to herself, until mentor unexpectedly died and they were left alone. The two young adolescents left to venture for themselves. Zundala knew she always could fall back on Hazag like he was her partner back. But nothing happened. He saw her more as his older sister. Zundala had thought they would stick together and that he would grow to accept her as his partner. A relation where she always tried to have the upper hand. In her mind they would settle down somewhere, doing what they were best at and always be together.

But she was wrong.

When she asked him why he never approached her like he did other women he answered with "Ya like my older sister," he grinned. And she'd like that answer. Whe wanted to smack his face. Jazah was his younger sister. She wasn't related in any kind of way. It made her furious that she is naked in front of him could actually dance and he did not find her attractive in the same way as he looked at other women. She tried to manipulate him, to have him do what she wanted. The way she commanded him around made him reject her even more. Because she tried to steer him, he refused to do her bidding.

So it made Zundala decide that perhaps a more steady accommodation was more suitable for him and her. They started their own trading, operating from Ogrimmar. Where she became a member of a guild which provided her business and asked a fair share in return.

Hazajin felt little enthusiasm for the guild and refused to join. He had his choices set on something else. But Zundala only realized that too late.

Since the death of their mentor Hazajin seemed restless. Now there was no one to whom he could fall back on for advice and he seemed irritated enormously with everything Zundala did. He could not laugh at her when she knocked out a few teeth from a guars mouth after making sure he was deliberately pulled into her brawl. He did not say anything when she tried to rob elderly people of their money. He merely gave her looks.

There was a lot of friction between them. He seemed to damned happy to live up to that stupid code their mentor had tried to teach them, but she wasn't. A few of his rules she already ignored, such as: Never kill when you do not have to. Being dishonorable provides you with more enemies than you want.

Was that not what she had become a rogue for? To do just those things that others would never do? Weren't they always looked at with suspicion? Why their mentor always insisted on honor she never understood. Hazag apparently did, because he was certainly not agreeing with what she did.

Even more irritation on her part was that he did not want to see her the way he looked at other women. When Thrall was still leader and Orgrimmar didn't change so drastically yet, she could often find him among the many trolls that inhabited Orgrimmar. Often she saw him with a new woman. Hazag seemed to be for short term relations. If she had to put down every woman she was jealous of there would be nobody left. She also noted that Hazajin was looser here than he ever was with her. To other women he was funny, naturally cheerful with a hint of sarcasm that he used the right way to be charming. Back then he wasn't aggressive, rather balanced.

It also annoyed her that his old hunter friend, the tauren Vim, came to Orgrimmar and was often see drinking with Hazag. Vim spoke to her one day, when she came to claim Hazag and scolded him like they were a married couple. They still huddled together didn't they? That gave her the right to tell him his rights. She truly wanted to drag him away by his hairs to show everybody he was taken, but he would not let her. It was Vim who made her think.

He told her if she wanted to truly claim him that she should show her honest interest in Hazag as a person. Their bond was much deeper than she realized and wanted to admit, but it was good advice from the tauren. So she decided to act like any of those women she loathed to see him with. After a well deserved day of work she asked Hazag and Vim if they wanted to share a drink with her.

Hazag had helped her with the job and she wanted to thank him. He was always willing to help her. And she could always count on him for that. She held on to that feeling.

That same evening, the three of them became so incredibly drunk that she spontaneously blurted out that she did not think he had the right to see her as his older sister. Vim winked at her when Hazag almost fell back in surprise after hearing that spontaneous outburst from Zundala. She actually confessed to him. Laughing together they drank another round, and another. Until they were so drunk that Vim passed out and Hazag and Zundala made their way to their hut.

Now she had him it ended in a quick night ... that actually was rather disappointing for her. Because now she had him, it was no longer fun. Sex with Hazag was fun, she had no complaints there. He was reliable. Whenever she was in the mood he was there for her.

But once she turned her friendship into that wanted relation, she found him annoying. It went from bad to worse. His whole presence made her grumpy. It made the distance between grow.

At one point he pulled out of the tent to give her space. It resulted in a five months-long silence between them. When she did speak to him again, he told her of his plans. He met a new mentor that was willing to train him. And he was about to return to Sen'jin, to visit his parents and sister.

In those five months Zundala slept with multiple people. Yet she still missed Hazag. Unsure of who the father of her unborn baby was she didn't want to push him away. So they spoke as friends, renewing their old bonds. And as she suspected he was still there for her.

When her guild sent her to Winterspring to steal that book, she thought she would not make it on her own. Now they were good friends again she approached Hazag to inform if he was interested to help her with a job. Work was difficult with a baby growing in her belly. She wasn't as fast as she used to be. He would be her distraction. This job would give her enough money to time-out for a while. Until the child was born and she would stay low. When she asked him to go with her he could not refuse her.

That Winterspring would end in fiasco nobody would have guessed. That she had to cut the woman's throat and left her bleeding to death was something she chose to do because the woman had seen her. If she lived she would give her away. Something Hazajin could not appreciate, then not and still not. She eventually ran off with the loot and let him pay for the mess she caused.

Good old times.

After that she didn't see or speak to him for years. She heard Hazag left Ogrimmar and Zundala disappeared into the shadows. Over time the goblins placed themselves under the Horde, Thrall laid down his mantle of leadership on the shoulders of the warrior Garrosh Hellscream and most trolls settled on the recaptured Echo Isles. Most of the trolls left Orgrimmar after having an argument with the new Warchief. The huge orcs city was completely rebuilt. Time passed.

In the beginning she still heard stories of him. For example that he started a trade together with Vim. She was told he was hunting for wild raptors. It actually helped him to provide for his people and the demand of raptors to ride. After that he apparently earned himself the right to place the word 'jin ' t his name. What exactly it was that made him earn that title she never heard, but she knew he was now known as Hazajin instead of Hazag.

When her child was born she dumped the boy at her mother's sister. Her aunt was very willing to raise the boy, who would be cherished. She distained herself from him and didn't bother to look after him. It was easier like that. Her aunt only bore girls when her partner was still alive, to raise a boy in her family gave honor to her house and person. Even if he was not her own. When she presented the babe to the tribe he was welcomed to the tribe.

Zundala could not care less.

When Azeroth became too restless for her, she disappeared through the portal to Outland, where she eventually managed to forget about Hazag for a while.

Settling a new business for herself in Shattrah she did well for a long time. Not burdening herself with thoughts of him. Until she encountered a warlock one day. The man was quite persistent.

He was spotted from a mile away according to Zundala. He was followed around by four to six scantily dressed blond women that seemed to worship him. Then there was the goblin who looked after his business and a group of seven male elves that protected him. Perhaps it made him more interesting as a target to see the amount of wealth he had. Simply because he showed off.

He smelled of polluted magic when she first met with him. The ferocity of his green eyes made her aware he was probably very addicted to fel blood. He had his goblin approach her to tell her he wanted to do business with her. Business meant money. And money she could not refuse.

He asked her to hear him out. His story was no different from others. Perhaps she could relate to some of it. But she told him it didn't concern her, nor was she the woman for the job.

To her his main problem was his broken pride, and probably his manhood, that seemed hurt the most. If a woman didn't chose him over somebody else, then she probably didn't want him.

It was more the who she chose that made it interesting to hear more. He said he chose a troll.

According Zundala the man sounded quite obsessive about the woman, but to be dumped by one of your own to be stolen away be a troll made her curious. That the woman he had chosen a troll male over any blood elf made her chuckle. Usually there was no real love between trolls and blood elves. Especially not when you read up on history. There was often a great suspicious between the two races.

Zundala laughed at first, amused. He did not find it so amusing. Especially not when she refused him.

When she refused him, he simply let her be picked up by his guards. She had never been 'picked up'before. Usually people couldn't trace her steps. This man apparently did. This man knew more of her than she could imagine. He spoke to her again in his home.

He surprised her with information that little knew about her. Meanwhile he continued to surprise her by telling her who trained her, how she was wanted and suspected of some lucrative business and even murder. That she had a child living with a relative. He also told her very specifically why he had her in mid for this job.

She knew the troll that bothering him so much ...

The blood elf called him Hazajin, she first had to get used to that. Old irritations boiling to the surface after he was done talking to her. Resentment of small things from her past. He was playing with her. What he wanted her to do was bring him both the troll and the blood elf female. From there she would receive payment and he would take it from her. When she heard him mention the troll probably would be killed something snapped inside. The thoughts that Hazajin would be killed wasn't a good thought to her. More to her own surprise. The elf smiled in return. Calling her a sentimental idiot.

Still, she took the job. Coming up with a plan that would work to her benefit. Because Hazag would not be pleased to see her. And he wasn't stupid. If he was allowed the honor of adding 'jin' to his name he would be on his guard. She could assume he was looking out for any trouble.

If she wanted to win his trust, she had to come up with a plan to confront him. To convince him that she had a reason to seek him out. She did not have to think long about that.

She ended up being back in Orgrimmar, hidden in the cave in the home of a stranger warlock.

He wanted nothing more do with her when she first made him aware she had returned. Not surprising really. When she saw him he was filled with anger against her. His aggressive behavior towards her triggered everything in her body again. Every memory she blocked was unlocked. Especially when she saw the fierce look in his eyes the moment he hit her straight in her face. Right there, on that very moment, when he knocked her back and sat on top of her with his full weight, squeezing her throat. That thought made her strangely aware of him.

She licked her lips again at the mere thought as the smile curled around her lips again. He dried up much better than she could ever imagines. And she was going to be his, if he liked it or not. She would make sure that warlock would benefit from his deal with her without having to kill Hazajin for it. A cackling laughter escaped her lips.

"Mother?" A sleepy voice came from under the covers of the bed beside her. The boy woke up from her laughter. "Go to sleep Ghalek," she replied wryly at the boy. For a moment she caught a glimpse of the boy in the bed, an indomitable blue hairdo of green and blue displayed in the faint light of the candle. He looked sleepily at her without saying anything.

"Go to sleep!" She said again. He disappeared under the covers. His breathing calmed down when he fell asleep again.


End file.
